Back to School

This school year may look different for your kiddos, so it’s important to start talking about it now.

Set Your Expectations

Talk with your kids about what your expectations are for them to wear masks, wash hands, bring hand sanitizer, or other COVID rules you still have in place in your home. Explain that not all families are the same and some families have different expectations. Let your children know (simply) why you have those expectations, for example, “I am asking you to wear you mask at school to keep our family safe, other families may have other plans to keep them safe”. Let your kids know that they are in charge of themselves, and they do not need to monitor other children’s behavior, just make sure they are safe themselves.

Acknowledge Feelings

As school starts back, kids may become nervous about returning in person. Many children become nervous about new situations, including changing to a new school, classroom or teacher, and this may be exacerbated by being away or things being new in regards to COVID. Allow space every night the few weeks leading up to school and the first few weeks of school to check in on kids' feelings surrounding being back in school. Just as this transition was tricky and exciting for adults, kids experience that same mix of emotion and may not know how to express or what to do with those feelings. Validate those feelings for your children, letting them know that man kids feel uneasy about returning to school. Provide space to talk or play about school. For younger kids you can encourage them to “play out” their day at school using dolls or puppets, so you can support all the feelings that arise from back-to-school post-covid.

Practice Makes Perfect

If after checking in on your child’s feelings, they are feeling nervous, you can rehearse together as a family what it will be like to go back to school. Practice waking up at the set time, packing lunches, backpacks, and everyone into the car/bus stop, take your child to the school so they can (re)familiarize themselves to the location. If you child has a friend they carpool or ride the bus with, team up with the other family to practice on the same day. Have them practice wearing masks during "school hours” if that is your family’s plan. Work out the kinks of what a school day may look like before the first day, so the child feels comfortable, in control, and knows what to expect in going to school. Even for kids who are not nervous about the return of school it can be important to start practicing different habits like wake-up time and bedtime a week early, so they are not thrown back into the routine the first day of school.